Make December 31st a day of Reflection and Intention

I don't often take time to reflect and reset.  And yet, I've found that every time I sit down and reflect it helps me recenter, gives me a sense of peace, and makes my path forward more clear.

I propose that December 31st becomes an intentional day for reflection and intention -- at least for me -- and perhaps for your too. It can still end with modern day bacchanalia, but I want to earn it with introspection.

Here's how I intend on earning my New Years Eve:

1. Plan to reflect by reserving some time for reflection today
2. Reflect on the last year by answering questions based on my available headspace.
3. Set an intention for the new year.
4. Reflect on what I'd like to change about this activity next time.

This is what I am trying this year.  I hope it will help your reflection this year. If you want to start with my approach, here's my google doc.

Plan:

What outcomes do I want from my reflection today?

Do I want to have reflected on my personal life? My work? My family? Do I want to use these reflections to set goals?

How much time am I able to dedicate to reflection today?

Be honest with myself about how much time I can reasonable carve out to think about the past, present and future today. Do I have 5 minutes, 10? An hour? two?

When am I going to set aside this time?

Can I possibly just "power through" right now?  What happens when my daughter wants to get breakfast?

What might stand in the way from successfully reflecting today and how might I mitigate these challenges?

What else is happening in my life right now?

Reflect on the last year:

There are thousands of lists out there, from 5 minute reflections, 27 questions, 3 questions, to 100 question lists. Here's a few questions I intend on answering, your questions should be unique to your desired outcomes.  Find questions that speak to you and that you can give the headspace to today.

What were my goals for the year? Did I accomplish them? Why?

Look back over the last year both personally and professionally. What did I learn about myself each month? Where did I fail? Where might I grow?

This is the equivalent to asking myself (3 * 12 * 2) questions.  I want to spend the time here, so that I approach my reflection with a year's worth of context, as opposed to just what's in my head today.  This should not be a catalog of activities.

What were the most personally energizing activities? (wins)  Any patterns?

I am particularly interested in identifying patterns that bring me energy, as a tool to help myself be even more successful in the future.

What were the most personally de-energizing activities?  Any patterns?

The same goes for de-energizing activities.

If there was one thing to that I could focus on to improve my personal and professional performance what would it be and how would I make this happen?  How would I know I was successful?

What messages am I not listening to or refusing to confront in my professional and personal life and how am I going to overcome that this year? How would I know I was successful?

Set an intention for the new year:

In my case I want to make to set goals.  So I choose questions to frame goals. I've seen other reflections that capture mantras, or feelings.  Pick questions that provide intentionality to your year.

Where do I want to be in 3 years?

At the end of the year, what two goals do I want to make sure I have accomplished?

What is my personal vision for the end of the year?

Fin

How much time did I actually spend in true reflection today? Why?

What was my level of focus in answering these questions (1-5)? Why?

What would I change if I were to do this activity again?

Thanks Roland and Kat for reading drafts of this.  Did you find this helpful? I'd love to know how you set aside time to reflect and set intention.